The Protest Response Oversight (PRO)

The Protest Response Oversight (“PRO”) Unit monitors the NYPD’s response to protests, demonstrations, and other First Amendment activities ("FAAs").

The PRO Unit, which is staffed by an Inspector General, two Special Counsels and two Senior Investigators, was established in March 2025 following the City’s settlement of In Re: New York City Policing During Summer 2020 Demonstrations, No. 20-CV-8924(CM(GWG)(S.D.N.Y. 2023). The settlement terms included reforms to NYPD’s response to FAAs in New York City and gave the Department of Investigation certain oversight authority to monitor the NYPD’s compliance with the settlement.

The settlement requires that the mandated reforms and oversight take place in “phases.” In “Phase I” of the settlement agreement, NYPD finalized new policies, procedures, and training relating to the Department’s response to protests, demonstrations, and other FAAs. In “Phase II,” which began on October 3, 2025, DOI is overseeing a multi-year monitoring period in which DOI’s PRO Unit reviews NYPD’s responses to certain FAAs in New York City, selected by members of a Collaborative Review Committee comprised of the parties and chaired by the DOI Commissioner. DOI is responsible for, among other things, conducting the reviews of FAAs, determining NYPD’s compliance with settlement terms, reporting findings, and issuing recommendations. 

On October 3, 2025, DOI began reviewing NYPD’s responses to two FAAs: the demonstrations at Brooklyn College on May 8, 2025, and at 26 Federal Plaza on June 14, 2025. To read more click here. If you have witnessed something involving NYPD at these or other protests that you would like to share, you can provide information to the PRO Unit using this Online Portal or call the PRO Unit's hotline at: 212-825-6854.

Frequently Asked Questions 

1:   Does the Protest Response Oversight (“PRO”) Unit investigate every protest that happens in New York City?

No. During “Phase II” of the settlement, the Plaintiffs and NYPD will choose protests that DOI will review. DOI also can select protests to review during Phase II, and DOI may review additional NYPD conduct related to protests to assess whether NYPD has implemented DOI’s recommendations regarding the Department’s compliance with the settlement agreement.

2:   I saw a person wearing a green “DOI Protest Response Monitor” vest. Who are they and what were they doing?

Individuals wearing a green vest with the phrase, “DOI Protest Response Monitor” are PRO Unit staff who attend demonstrations in New York City to observe the NYPD’s response. PRO Unit staff will typically wear green “DOI Protest Response Monitor” vests while in attendance to identify themselves.

3:   How do I contact the Protest Response Oversight Unit to share photos, videos, or information about how NYPD responded to First Amendment activity?

If you would like to provide information to the Protest Response Oversight Unit, you can use this online portal, which will also allow you to upload photos and videos. PRO Unit personnel may contact you afterward for more information.

4:   Is the Protest Response Oversight Unit a part of the NYPD?

No, the PRO Unit is a part of the NYC Department of Investigation, the City’s independent, anti-corruption watchdog.

5:   Does DOI investigate NYPD activity unrelated to protests?

Yes. While the Protest Response Oversight Unit focuses solely on NYPD activity related to protests, demonstrations and other FAAs, a separate Department of Investigation unit — the Office of the Inspector General for the New York City Police Department (“OIG-NYPD”) — has general authority to conduct investigations related to NYPD operations, policies, programs and practices, and to issue related recommendations to the NYPD. You can read more about the work of OIG-NYPD here.